Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton in Cleveland, Ohio, was the daughter of a rug company owner. She began writing while in high school, serving as the editor of a literary page in the school's paper, and penned her first novel, Ralestone Luck, published in 1938. Her first published novel was The Prince Commands (1934). Norton graduated from high school in 1930 and studied teaching at Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University, though she dropped out in 1932 due to economic conditions and began working for the Cleveland Library System.

In 1934, she legally changed her name to Andre Alice Norton, a pen name adopted to increase marketability, as boys were the primary audience for fantasy. In 1941, she bought a bookstore called the Mystery House in Mount Rainier, Maryland, but returned to the Cleveland Public Library after the business failed. By 1950, she was a reader for the Gnome Press Co., and in 1958, she became a full-time author.

In 1966, Norton moved to Florida for health reasons and later to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In 1977, she received the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society, becoming the first woman to do so, and in 1983, she received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She passed away in March 2005 from congestive heart failure.

Known as the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Norton published over 300 titles, reaching four generations of readers. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America honored her legacy by establishing the Andre Norton Award for outstanding fantasy or science fiction works for young adults.